Stiffener for boots or shoes



(No Model.)

W. H. WATSON.

STIFFBNER PORA BOOTS OR'SHOBS.

No. 340,177.. Patented Apr. 20, 1886,.

Hyg. F1127 )i fw @gw UNITE VALTER HENRY WATSON, OF SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STlFFENER FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.

340.177, dated April 20, 1886.

Application filed February 4, 1886. Serial No. 190,767. (No model.)

' described in the following specification, and

represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a front elevation, Fig. 2 a rear view, and Fig. 3 a transverse section, of a shoe or boot counter containing my invention, the nature of which is defined in the claims hereinafter presented. Fig. 4 is a side View, and Fig. 5 a transverse section, of the improved duplex serrated re-enforce hereinafter described, in its condition for being applied to a counter or band.

My said invention is an improvement with reference to the heel -stiffener described in the United States Patent No. 247,787, dated October 4, 1881, and granted to my father, Jeremiah M. Vatson, the said patented heelstit'fener consisting of a counter of leather or leather-board and of a iiexile or elastic duplex serrated metallic plate or re-enforce, notched or having teeth at its two opposite edges, and arranged against one face of the counter and secured thereto by extending one range of such teeth at their points through the counter, and clinching or bending down the teeth upon the other face of such-counter.

In the re-enforce of the said patented heelst-iffener there is a broad uunotched space or belt between the bases of the two ranges of teeth, whereas in my improved re-enforce there is no such space, each tooth of one range, with the exception of the extreme teeth of such range, having` an angular notch in it at its base and forming parts of two of the teeth of the opposite range; and, instead of having affixed to one range of teeth of the re-cnforce a counter to extend both above and below the said re-enforce and cover one'entire face thereof, I have combined with the reenforce a simple belt, of leather or other suitable material, fastened to one range of the teeth at their points and projecting a short distance above and a short distance below such points, without reaching to the other range of teeth, all being essentially as represented in the aforesaid drawings, in which the metallic re-enforce is shown at A and the belt or band at B.

In this 11e-enforce the triangular space a between each two teeth b of either range extends within a tooth ofthe other range, the sides of the notch being parallel to those of the teeth. The teeth of the upper range are hooked and extended through the belt B, and the points are beaten or forced 'down upon the belt, so as to firmly connect it to the reenforce. Each tooth of the lower range is vusually bent inward at an angle, as represented in the drawings at s, such being to enable the toot-h to project under the insole. Furthermore, each ltooth of the upper range is near its point bent outwardly to an angle with the rest of the tooth, such being as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When so made, the teeth can be readily driven or forced into and through the counter or band and afterward bent or clinchedl thereupon.

A heel-stiffener thus made can be produced much cheaper and with much less stock, both in the re-enforce and board, than is the case with the aforementioned patented heelstiffener on which mine is an improvement.

The reason the re-enforce can be made cheaper and of less material is because there is no continuous belt of metal between the two ranges of teeth, and the die used in cutting through a plate to form each range successively cuts into the preceding range a short distance.

1. The improved heel-stiffener composed of a piece of leather or leather-board and the improved re-enforce, substantially as described, consisting of two ranges of teeth in which the angular space between any two teeth of each range is extended into atooth of the other range from its base toward its point, essentially as set forth, and each of the teeth of either or each range is hooked or bent near its point at an angle to the rest of the tooth.

2. The improved heelstil'fener composed of a piece of leather or leather-board and the improved re enforce, substantially as described, consisting of two ranges of teeth in which the angular space between any two teeth of each range is extended into a tooth of the other rangefrom its base toward its point, essentially as set forth.

WALTER HENRY WATSON.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY,

R. B. TORREY,

IOC 

